Swimming pools must be maintained to be useful. Properly maintaining a pool can require a great deal of work on the part of the pool owner, including treating the pool water with multiple chemicals, skimming the pool water surface, sweeping the pool floors and sidewalls, and vacuuming the pool surfaces. Different pool surfaces, such as vinyl, portland cement plaster, and exposed aggregate pebble or shotcrete present their own special difficulties. Automated pool cleaner vacuum systems have been developed to ease some of the workload involved in keeping a pool clean.
Automated pool cleaners typically use the power of the pool pump to move through the water across the pool surface. Most pool cleaners include a hose that stretches from the pool pump to the pool cleaner, and are propelled by the vacuum force created by the pool pump drawing water through the hose and pool cleaner. All of these pool cleaners have at least one part that is a point of contact on the pool surface. In pools with smooth or textured concrete surfaces, these points of contact can wear down very quickly, requiring further attention and maintenance from the owner who has to replace the part. Additionally, the performance of these parts often degrades with time and wear, causing them to be less effective at cleaning the pool surface or moving across the pool surface. An improved system for maintaining contact and cleaning a pool surface is needed.